Casing-head latch



April 14, 1925.

' c. MCCLEARY CASING HEAD LATCH Filed Sept. 17, 1924 INVENTOR v BY W %J ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

CLYDE MoCLEARY, OF WEBB CITY, OKLAHOMA.

CASING-HEAD LATCH.

Application filed September of Webb City, in the county of Osage and" State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cas ng- Head Latches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to control heads and more particularly to an oil saver or sand cap adapted to be organlzed with said control head.

The object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which may be instantly operated to cut oil? the flow of oil thereby reducing the fire hazard and oil loss to a minimum and also decreasing till till

the liability of the operators being injured during the operation of running the tools or the bailer into and out of a well.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing "forming a part of this specification and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective viewv showlng one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a view in horizontal section on line 2-2 Of Figure 3,

Figure 3 is a View in vertical sectlon on line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary group view in perspective illustratlng the operating means.

ior the holding pins, and

Figure ,5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a slightly modified form of operating member.-

ldeterring to the drawing the numeral 10 designates a standard control head or casing head having a gasket 11 providing a seat around the inner periphery of the upper end of the casing or control head and having a flange 12 around the outer periphery of the upper end of the control or casing head, the flange 12 carrying a numher of set screws 13. The structure thus far described is conventional.

The present invention comprises a'tubul ar body 15 the lower end of which rests on the gasket 11. An outwardly directed inclined shoulder 16 is formed at the lower end of the tubular body 15 and with this inclined shoulder 16 the tapered outer ends of tne set 17, 1924. Serial No. 738,237.

screws 13 coact for the purpose of securing the tubular body 15 to the control or casing head. At theupper end of the tubular body 15 a gasket 17 is provided and is mounted in a groove 18 provided therefor 1n the tubular body. A cap 19 is seated on tlns gasket and serves to close the opening of the tubular body 15 and consequently to close the opening through the control or casmg head 10 of which latter the opening of the tubular body is a continuation. This cap 19 is identical with the sand cap ordinarily employed in conjunction with the gasket 11 and set screws 13 and the advantage of utilizing the cap in the relation and in conjunction with the instrumentalities disclosed in this application resides in the fact that it may be readily, easily and instantly applied and as conveniently removed to decrease the fire hazard, the oil loss and. the risk to human life and property.

In carrying out these purposes the tubular body 15 is enlarged toward its upper end and the enlarged upper portion of the tubular body has integrally formed therewith an outwardly directed annular flange 20. An upstanding annular flange 21 is in- .rtegrally formed with the flange 20 at the point where the flange 20 joins the tubular body 15. lfhis flange 21 is provided with a plurality of radially extending bearing 1 openings 22 in which holding pins 23 are slidably fitted, The inner ends of the pins 23 are tapered as indicated at 23 and coact with the tapered peripheral portion of the cap 19 to ,force the cap down against the gasket 17. The outer ends of the pins 23 are provided with-heads 24.

Means is provided for projecting the pins 28 into engagement witli the cap 19 and for retracting these pins into the openings 22 whereby to disengage them from the cap 19. llhis means comprises an operating member designated generally at 25 and consisting of a pair of rings 26 held together by boltsand nuts 27-, the heads of the bolts and the nuts being countersunk in the rings. The ring assembly 26-26 is rotatably fitted'o'n the flange 20 and snugly though rotatably embraces the flange 21. A top plate 28 held to the upper end of the flange 21 by countersunk screws 29 is employed for the purpose of preventing accidental upward displacement of the ring assembly. As'shown in the drawing the rings 26-26 have intogrally formed therewith handle members 30 llllil gral ormationthe ring 40 is identical with In this manner the cap may 32 to facilitate assembly of the heads 24 of the pins with the grooves 31. The rings 26 are also cut away as at 33 to provide the clearance necessary to accommodate the shanks-of the pins 23. The rear walls of the grooves 31 are preferably provided with 'a steel facing 35 which engages the rear faces of the heads 24 of the pins'23f s With this arrangement the, pins 23 having been retracted by turning the handle mem bers 30 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 2 the cap 19 may be applied and the pins 23 instantly projected to engage their tapered ends 23 with the beveled portion of the cap 19 to clamp the cap 19 on its gasket 17 by simply turning the handle members 30 in a clockwise direction'as viewed in Figures 1 and 2. By turning the handle members 30 in/a clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 2 the rings 26 are similarly rptated and the outer walls of the cam slots 81' coact with the heads 24 of the pins 23 to force these ins radially inward. Similarly when the andle' members 30 are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 2' the rin 26 will be turned in the same direction an the inner walls of the slots 31 will, coact withthe heads of the pins and move the pins radially outward and disengage their tapered ends from the cap 19. n

g be instantly applied and removed thereby saving life and property and reducing the fire hazard and the oil loss. i

In lieu of forming the operating member 25 of a pair of rings 26, this operating member may be cast in a single piece and may comprise a one piece ring 40 which as shown in Figure 5 is formed with entering slots 41 from the underside of the ring to the cam slots rovidedtherein. Except for its intethe structure hereinabove-desoribed and optubular body mounted thereon and havin a said seat, holding means engageable with erates in the same way. In assembling the one piece ring arrangement the pins 23 are first inserted inthe bearing opening 22'and the ring 40 is then slipped down on the flange 21, the heads of the pins passing into the cam slots through the entering slots 41.

I claim: I I 1. In combination with a control head, a

seat at its upper end, a cap cobperable with and disengageable from said cap and including slidable holding pins mounted on the ating member mounted'on the tubular body portion and coacting with said pins for slid- I ing the same inwardly and outwardly.

2. In combination with a control or casing head, a tubular body mounted thereon and having a seat at its upper end, a cap engageable with and disengageable from said seat, said tubular body having an outwardly directed annular flange and an upwardy directed annular flange, holding pins slidably mounted .on the upwardly directed annular flange, said holding pins being engageable with the cap at their inner ends andhaving heads at their outer ends, a rotatable operating member mounted on the outwardly directed annular flange and rotatably embrac ing the upwardly directed annular flange,

said operating member comprising 'a pair of rected annular flange, holding pins slidably mounted on the upwardly directed annular flange, said holding pins being engageable with the cap at their inner ends and having heads at their outer ends, a rotatable operating member mounted on the outwardly directed annular flange and rotatably embracing the upwardly directed annular flange, said operating member comprising a pair of rings held together and having registering cam rooves, the heads of said pins being receive in said cam grooves, and handle members'carr-ied by said rings.

4. In combination with a control or casing head, a tubular body mounted thereon and having a seat at itsupper end, a cap engageable with and disenga eable from said seat, said tubular body having an outwardly directed annular flange and an upwardl directed annular flangefholding pins sli ably mounted on the upwardly directedannular flange, said holding pins being engageable with the cap at their inner ends and having heads at their outer ends, .a rotatable operating member mounted on the outwardl directed annular flange and rotatably em racing the upwardly directed annular flange, said operating. member comprising a pair of. rings held together and having registering cam grooves, the heads of said pins being received in said cam grooves, one wall of said cam grooves having'a steel tacing.

-5. In combination with'a control or casing head, a tubular body mounted thereon and having a seat at its upper end, a c'ap engageable. with and disengageable from said seat, said tubularbody having an out- .wardly directed annular flange and an up Wardly directed annular flange, holding pins slidably mounted on the upwardly directed annular flange, said holding pins being engageable with the cap at their inner ends and having heads at their outer ends, a rotatable operating member mounted on the'outwardly directed annular flange and rotatably embracing the upwardly directed annular flange, said operating member com.- prising a pair of rings held together and having registering" cam grooves, the heads of said pins being received in said cam grooves, and a cap plate carried by the top of the upwardly directed annular flange and serving to prevent upward displacement of the rings. v 6. In combination with a control or casin head having seat and set screws at its up per end, a tubular body portion mounted on the seat and having an inclined shoulder engaged by said'set screws, said tubular body portion having a gasket at its upper end providing a seat, a capengageable with and isengageable from said gasket, holding means cooperable with said eap,-.and an operatin member rotatably mounted on the tubu ar body portion and controlling said holding means. i

7. In combination with a control head, a tubular body mounted thereon and having a seat at its upper end, a cap cooperable with said seat, holding means engageable with and disengageable from said cap and including slidable holding pins mounted on the tubular body portion, and a rotatable operating member of annular form mounted on the tubular body portion and coactin with said pins for sliding the same inward y and outwardly. p

8. In combination with a control head, a

tubular body mounted thereon and having a seat at its upper end, a cap cooperable with said seat, holding means engageable with and disengageable from said cap and including radially slidable holding pins mounted on the tubular body portion, and a rotatable operating member mounted on the tubular body portion and having camming means coacting with said pins for sliding the same inwardly and outwardly.

*CLYDE MOCLEARY. 

